This is true, and the Feast of the Presentation is separate entirely from the Imbolc practices. We welcome Spring!”. (2020, August 27). var days = Math.floor(diff / (1000 * 60 * 60 * 24)); Candles and Candlemas may date back to pagan times - much like many other traditions now adopted into the Christian faith. The older Pagan names were Imbolc and Oimelc. "); If Candlemas day be shower and rain, Once you're done, dress in your ritual attire, if you normally wear it, and begin the rite. If Candlemas day be shower and rain, Winter is gone and will not come again. 4 Arsenault, p 15 5 Mala Powers, Follow the Year (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1985), p 58 6 Breathnach, p 61 7 Arsenault, p 8 8 Caroline Hamelin, La … Beltane and Imbolc and Lughnasadh and Samhain are Irish and Scottish Gaelic names (the English names are May Day, Candlemas, Lammas,… Candlemas Traditions. Initiation Ceremony for a New Seeker: In many Pagan traditions, this time of year is a season of beginnings, and can be associated with initiations and re-dedications. You can also make candles for the coming year and consecrate new ritual items. Candlelit processions accompanied the feast day.Since the traditional Candlemas celebration anticipated the planting of crops, a central focus of the festivities was the forecasting of either an early spring or a lingering winter. year=1900 + year; As the light builds, see the energy growing in a purifying glow. Candles aren't hard to make, and ice candles are especially fun. var day_description = "Christmas"; The Groundhog Day tradition tells us that if the Groundhog sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of bad weather. Pagan Roots. document.write(""); Our spirits become locked – forever frozen and a living death, UNLESS we become fluid and malleable – and open to change.” Water the newly panted seeds with the melted snow. Candlemas was originally a Celtic festival marking the “cross-quarter day,” or midpoint of the season. Candlemas replaces the “Festival of Lights” The tradition of Candlemas in rooted in ancient pagan, Jewish and Christian traditions celebrating light and fire. As you do so, say: Although it is now dark, I come seeking light.In the chill of winter, I come seeking life. Several symbolize the light that emerges as winter finally comes to an end, and another represents the purifying warmth of the hearth fires. Even the popular name Candlemas hints at the “light to reveal you to the nations“ that we celebrate at Easter, the ultimate feast of Light. Leslie, Clare Walker., and Frank Gerace. Imbolc is celebrated on February 2nd. Wigington, Patti. We honor the goddess Brede, who is also called Brighid or Bridget. Hi, muldanian, exactly, and of course all the holly, ivy, and other plants are pagan symbols too! Winter will have another flight. document.write("Today is " + day_before + "! I think it's time to go shopping... maybe even buy some really cool stuff at my online shops!! This light is a boundary, between positive and negative.That which is outside, shall stay without.That which is inside, shall stay within. Fire of the hearth, blaze of the sun,cover me in your shining light.I am awash in your glow, and tonight I ammade pure. The Imbolc Sabbat is a great time to let go of the past. Self-Dedication Ritual for Solitary Pagans, Seven candles, in red and white (tealights are perfect for this), A large bowl or cauldron big enough to hold the candles, Sand or salt to fill the bottom of the bowl/cauldron. Although this ceremony is written for one, it can easily be adapted for a small group by assigning each participant their own candle, or candles, to light and take charge of. The pagan origin of its mummeries and licence is evident, but it is a spring rather than a winter festival, and hardly calls for treatment here.